Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard will be sidelined indefinitely after having the stitches removed from an infected area in his left ankle Monday, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Howard, who is on antibiotics and could return to camp today, will need to remain inactive while the new wound heals.

Howard ruptured his left Achilles’ tendon while making the final out in the Phillies’ NLDS loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. He had surgery soon after and was projected to miss 5-6 months of action.

Phillies head athletic trainer Scott Sheridan told the newspaper that he isn’t sure how long Howard will be sidelined. But the good is Howard’s surgically-repaired Achilles’ tendon is healing properly.

"That was our biggest concern going into this," Sheridan told The Philadelphia Inquirer. "That was one of the things during the procedure he confirmed; the Achilles’ tendon is intact and not compromised. That's great news."

Upon arriving to camp this spring, Howard participated in hitting drills and fielding drills and appeared to be making good progress. Manager Charlie Manuel estimated the slugger would return at some point May.

However, whispers of a setback began over the weekend, and Howard was examined Monday in Baltimore. During that time, he had a “small procedure” to remove the stitches by the doctor who performed his surgery in October, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Howard, 32, hit .253 with 33 homers and 116 RBIs in 152 games last season. It was his sixth consecutive season in which he hit at least 31 homers and drove in at least 108 runs.

The 2006 NL MVP is entering the first year of a five-year, $75 million extension.

The Phillies have plenty of depth at first base with Ty Wigginton, John Mayberry Jr., Laynce Nix and Jim Thome all capable of filling in until Howard is fully recovered.